PML-N supremo says party tickets must be allocated strictly on merit for upcoming AJK elections scheduled for January 24
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addresses party leaders in Lahore on Friday, December 12, 2025.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has urged the federal government to allot National Finance Commission (NFC) shares to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) even before a formal request is made by the two regions.
Addressing party leaders of GB and AJK in Lahore, Nawaz stressed the need to select the “best possible candidates” for the upcoming elections scheduled for January 24. He said party tickets must be allocated strictly on merit, adding that adherence to this principle was essential for organizational discipline.
Nawaz stressed that all party decisions regarding the two regions must be governed by merit, warning that internal conflicts at the local level had cost the party several seats in the past. Such conflicts, he warned, would no longer be tolerated. “Anyone involved in internal conflicts must be kept away. We cannot allow our business to be damaged by bringing such people to the Centre,” he said.
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He said the political environment was favorable to the party and it should be fully exploited. While many would seek party tickets in such circumstances, he stressed the importance of distinguishing between genuine loyalists and outsiders.
Nawaz said NFC price should not be demanded by GB and AJK; rather, it is the federal government that should take the lead. He said he would raise the issue with the prime minister, adding that federal investments in the two regions already exceeded those they would have received through the NFC.
Highlighting the development initiatives, he pointed out that over Rs53 billion had been spent on the Gilgit-Skardu highway. The Frontier Works Organization had previously estimated the cost of the project at between Rs50 and Rs60 billion. Even if the funds had come through the NFC, he said, they would not have matched the investment already made.
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Nawaz said both regions should receive funds in accordance with their entitlements, but noted that neither AJK nor Britain currently had the institutional capacity to fully utilize large financial allocations. He stressed that strengthening institutional capacities must accompany increased funding.
The former prime minister asked Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal to convey the party’s position to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying he would also raise the issue himself. He reiterated that GB and AJK must receive funding based on the NFC and these allocations should not depend on anyone’s discretion.
Nawaz called for a fixed annual amount to be allocated to each region, with a clear specification of the amount for Britain and AJK. He ordered party officials to start receiving nominations for the elections, saying he would travel to Muzaffarabad, Gilgit or Skardu to meet the candidates and hold consultations aimed at helping the party make informed policy decisions.
